Arlene Goldbard

Arlene Goldbard is a writer on the intersection of culture, politics, and spirituality. She is this county’s number one advocate for and theorist of the field of Community Cultural Development (CCD). As she has articulated, CCD “describes a range of initiatives undertaken by artists in collaboration with other community members to express identity, concerns and aspirations through the arts and communication media, while building the capacity for social action and contributing to social change.” Her recent book, New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development, is the seminal textbook for the field (New Village Press, 2006). Arlene’s clear articulation of the principles and values underlying this work enables a vast number of individuals and organizations to bring about positive social change in their communities.

Arlene Goldbard is the epitome of an Intelligent Optimist. Intelligent because of her membership in “The Auto Club:” her nickname for the extended family of autodidacts, people who have pursued their own educations on their own initiative, without benefit of college degrees. Optimist because of her outlook on life: she believes life is not a struggle filled with arbitrary punishments, but rather, that each experience represents a movement toward growth, toward becoming more fully oneself. Her mantra is, “Share stories fearlessly. The art of social transformation is unstoppable.”

Please nominate Arlene Goldbard as your Intelligent Optimist. She is a woman who deserves more recognition in this world, for all the work she does: her writing arlenegoldbard.com, her work with artists and activists, and her leadership at The Shalom Center shalomctr.org/.